What Dean Koontz Taught Me About Sales

One of my favorite things in life is a good book, and one of my favorite authors is Dean Koontz.

I first started reading Koontz novels about 4 years ago, and I’ve been hooked ever since.   For my money, he’s one of the best fiction writers alive today.  His books are incredibly entertaining ,and they always make me think about things I hadn’t considered or offer a new perspective on  life and death and being human.

What I never expected, though, was to write a blog post about the sales lessons I’ve learned from Mr. Koontz, but here it is.

#1 – It’s all about the story

Whatever else you might say about Koontz, there’s one thing no one can deny: the man can tell a story.  His books are at the same time thrilling and profound, but the parts that make you think are wrapped up in stories that are so compelling, it’s very likely you’re going to lose a few hours sleep.  More than once I’ve been so engrossed in a Koontz story that I’ve lost all sense of time and missed an entire night of sleep (Intensity was one such tale…read it at your peril).

Are the stories you share with your customers so compelling that they lose track of time and are surprised when they realize you’ve been chatting for an hour?  Or are they bored with your canned pitch 30 seconds into your presentations?  It’s a question worth considering, because your ability to engage your customers with great stories will directly correlate to your success as a salesperson.

One caution about stories, though: the goal should always be to move the ball forward.  When Koontz goes on a tangent, you can be sure that it has a purpose and will eventually be woven into the overall theme of the story.  Too often, salespeople tell stories that have no point and that have no correlation to the theme of their presentations.  Avoid those kind of stories.  No one enjoys them but you.

#2 – Being human means being flawed…deal with it

If there’s one thing I love about Koontz more than anything else, it’s that his “heroes” are all flawed, ordinary people, dealing with seemingly impossible circumstances.  They don’t have all the answers, and rarely do they make it through unscathed.  A Koontz protagonist is typically someone you can identify with.

I’ve talked before in this blog about the need for humility, and I think this drives that point home.  Being human means you’re going to make mistakes.  You’re going to screw up, and chances are pretty good it’ll happen again before the week is over.  And that’s OK.  Screwing up makes you human; it’s how you react to screwing up that determines the kind of person you are.

Do you take ownership of your mistakes?  Do you freely acknowledge your mistakes and humbly apologize to customers when things go wrong?  Or are you quick to point the finger, pass the buck, and play the blame game?  Your customers (at least the good ones) will appreciate your honesty and humility in admitting your mistakes.

#3 – The bad guys never give up

Usually a combination of superhuman and dangerously psychotic, Koontz’ bad guys are persistent, to say the least.  Just when you think the hero has them beat, you realize there are at least 40 pages left in the book and that the bad guy is definitely going to come back.

The “bad” guys in your own story (i.e., your competition) are every bit as relentless as Koontz’ antagonists.  They never sleep.  They are on the clock 24 x 7, looking for a weakness they can exploit.  OK…that may be a bit of an exaggeration, but a little paranoia can be a good thing.  The trick to staying one step ahead of the competition is the same one that Koontz’ heroes employ: just keep moving forward.  Don’t give up.  If you hang in there long enough, you can win.

Remember, a successful sales career is a marathon, not a sprint.

#4 – Respect the intelligence of your audience

While Koontz’ books aren’t considered “great literature” by many critics, they’re not exactly fluff, either.  Words like “ululating” and  ”sussurant” are always cropping up, forcing me to reach for the dictionary.  And that makes me feel like Koontz respects me as a reader.  He’s willing to challenge me, and he doesn’t talk down to me.  I get the sense that he believes I’m an intelligent person.

Is that how your customers feel?  Do you respect their intelligence and business savvy?  Or do you have a tendency to talk down to them, telling them what’s best for them?

I’m amazed at how many salespeople take this approach.  I’d like to point out that the business owner they are talking to was intelligent enough to build a business, whereas the salesperson still works for someone else.  Not that there’s anything wrong with working for someone else; just that they might want to show a little respect for someone who is out doing it on their own.

No matter how right you think you are or how good of a match your product is for them, you don’t ever have the right to treat your customer like a dummy when they disagree with you.

Koontz is a great author, and I love that I can get this kind of education while reading a great book.  What have your favorite authors taught you about business?